I made two things pretty clear in my last post:
1) I couldn’t justify spending $1500 on a new bike
2) “Spin” class would totally suffice as a bike riding substitute
Well, I pretty much turned both of those points completely on their respective heads. I went out and bought the bike above (and all the subsequent accessories) and haven’t been back to spin since.
The bike itself is pretty incredible. I did my homework and discovered that this frame was considered truly fantastic, and for an aluminum frame, on par with weight, responsiveness and comfort found in a full-carbon frame. I got an incredibly good deal on the bike from a guy that lives in Coto de Caza and had at least $70,000 in bicycles (and a Ferrari) in his garage. The guy seemed legitimately excited that I wanted to start cycling again. I told him how my father sparked an interest in cycling when I was an adolescent, and that I wanted to return to that in some way. As a result, he was able to package everything together for me that I needed to ride, including shoes (he and I were almost identical in size), pedals, pedal extenders, water bottle cages, and a helmet, for what the bike would have likely cost outright. I was off to a good start. Since then I picked up a few other things – replacement tires, an iPhone case to substitute for a cycling computer (I am currently using the STRAVA app to track my riding as you can see in the sidebar, switching from iMapMyRide), new “cleats” for the shoes (I broke one snapping out – they were aged), and other odds and ends. Suffice it to say, it’s been a considerable investment.
A worthy one though, I am absolutely fucking loving cycling. My obsession is cutting into my soul far deeper than the relationship I’ve had with running or any other activity, save for hockey 20 years ago. Sure, it’s new and shiny and I’m learning so much and it’s (I’m guessing here) like a new relationship, but in all seriousness, I simply love being on a bicycle. I can ride fast, slow, climb, descend, cruise, whatever. The freedom I feel on a bicycle is almost unparalleled. I enjoy the hard, laborious work of steady climbs and the guts it pulls from you to get to where you want to go. Also, the nostalgia is palpable for me – sometimes during long stretches I can see and hear the late 80s; John Tesh and Phil Ligget commentating on the tour, my dad telling me about Eddie Merckx (that clip gives me 6 minutes of goosebumps), or, pre-internet, hearing the cryptic, mystical stories of the wonder that is Paris-Roubaix. I am guessing that now, just having turned 36 and being fully in the throes of “responsible adulthood,” I need this return to youthfulness more than ever, and cycling has definitely created some sense of that for me. I disappear into my rides.
It has also caused me to re-shape some of my goals. I am still absolutely planning on running a marathon with John FUCKING Spoden, but the priority, before I start training for such a thing, is to become what John and I have started calling “cycling-lean.” If the forces of good finally coalesce properly today, John will FINALLY be purchasing his own proper bike today (as opposed to his weird fold-up bike) and starting to ride. We’ve talked about fairly grand plans for this; the Seattle to Portland ride, the Solvang Century, and I really, really want to ride from Milwaukee to Chicago. John’s from Chicago so I think I might be able to convince him to take this one on.
The effort to get “cycling lean” is going to include photos of me in my cycling gear. Yep, my spandex or whatever you want to call it (even though its mostly lycra) and the photos are gonna get posted here. Yep, I ain’t afraid to wear that stuff when I ride. It feels good and it accentuates all my fatty-features. I’m ok with it though. I already feel my body getting leaner and my composition changing. My weight hasn’t changed much, but to be honest my eating has been off.
I’ll post the first series of “bike clothes pics” this week, and probably weekly thereafter. I am doing long rides (35+ miles) on Saturday’s so it’ll probably be then. Alright then.
